Imprisoned
by SaoirseSpeir
Summary: The Demon King has been defeated, but it isn't over yet. A new prophecy presents itself, and an old friend asks for redemption...but can he be saved from the darkness that swamps his heart? SethxEirika, EirikaxLyon, possible others.
1. Prologue

_**Imprisoned**_

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except this story, and the plot.

Notes: The main coupling here is SethEirikaLyon, with a few hints of other couplings. Its setting now will be a few days after the fight with the Demon King. Enjoy!

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_Prologue – An End to the Fight?_

_Cold. An abyss of nothing. I sank sluggishly, letting the slow tendrils of darkness crawl over me, inspecting, questing. Their touches were silent, but were nothing like the silence that pressed all around me, beating into my ears like drums. I wasn't even sure I even had ears anymore._

_I was calm, at last. There was no pressure anymore, no pressure to be king; no pressure to be as good as Ephraim; no pressure to make the right choices. No pressure…to wonder aimlessly whether Eirika could possibly love me… _

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

"Lyon…"

Eirika gazed down quietly at the heavy Sacred Stone, which was, at that moment, lying harmlessly in her hands.

If she didn't know better, she would've mistaken it for an unnaturally round rock, only more lustrous. She sighed and gently rolled it in her palms, remembering the events of only a few days past.

Ephraim looked over at her, sadness hidden in his pale blue eyes. "Sister. I know you are an excellent rider, but even you cannot ride without holding the reins."

Eirika started, and almost unbalanced, remembering all of a sudden she was atop her white mare.

The horse snickered, tossing her head skittishly, reins swinging free. A gloved hand quickly snatched the reins out of the air; another patted her mare soothingly on the nose, quieting her.

"Princess, you should take more care in your surroundings."

A quietly deep voice spoke to her, holding out the reins for her to take. Almost unwittingly, the owner of the voice moved slightly closer, his bay horse's flank bumping kindly against her leg.

Numbly, Eirika took the leather straps, mumbling thanks in Seth's general direction. Her teal hair swung forward to cover her burning ears.

After all the effort she had put forth to gain her knight's trust so he would stop trying to do all _her_ fighting himself…she could bludgeon this to nothing if her mind kept wandering. She coughed faintly, willing the flush on her face to disappear.

Both concerned voices spoke as one, worried eyes locking onto her like homing beacons. "Are you hale, sister?" Ephraim questioned, a frown beginning to form on his face. He was followed immediately by Seth. "My liege, do you wish to rest?"

Eirika gave an inward sigh. Truly, she appreciated their concern, but there was such a thing as becoming overprotective…

"I am fine! Thank you for your concern."

Eirika looked up and forced herself to smile at the two, trying to adopt a L'Arachel-like persona. Then she dropped it quickly as she realized it would probably only scare them.

_Only L'Arachel could get away with being L'Arachel_. Eirika smiled at the thought of anyone trying to imitate the loud and self-confident princess.

Reassured by her smile, her twin and guardian looked away, content with simply riding alongside her.

Behind her, Eirika could hear the sounds of the Frelia prince and princess arguing about something, Tana's indignant voice was louder, carrying further than Innes's more serious, irritated one. High above, the sky bloomed a light azure, white clouds scudding across its canvas. A far cry from the dark, fiend filled one a few days ago.

She gave an involuntary shudder as she remembered how it had seemed so opposed and angry, the minutes before they entered the Darkling Forest. Purple and bruised, swollen with cursing, grey storms.

The air had been sour, filled with the wing beats and screeching of Deathgoyles, the choking smell of rotting Revenant flesh…in fact, no matter where you were, Darkling Forest had become an impermeable thicket of decay and death.

The temple hadn't stood out in the mess; with moss crawling up the moldy marble walls like veins, black creepers swinging ominously over the small entrance. Wild vegetation had grown over it until it looked like a wave of dark green had risen above. It looked right at home. And inside…

Her hands clenched on a fistful of white mane as she fought back the pain and loss bubbling up within her, her mind struggling to wipe out her last moment with Lyon, her dear friend, and perhaps more, if he had survived…

If only she had realized. It was so obvious, so painfully, absurdly obvious…_how_ could she have been so blind? How could she have let him slip away, after seeing his pale, haggard face, day after night, until eventually, he had avoided them altogether?

How could she not see his body wasting away, violet eyes losing their bright, serene shine that had always seemed a part of him; not seen the way his body steadily lost its health?

How could she not have recognized the ache that flashed in his eyes every time she had bade him farewell, as she left, laughing, with Ephraim? Why hadn't she realized Lyon could be jealous of Ephraim? Weren't females supposed to be sensitive?

_I couldn't have known all this._ Eirika shook her head, trying to ignore the accusations swilling in her mind. _He hid it too well. He hid all his pain away, tucked further in his soul than others knew to look._

Lyon…her close friend for three years, yet still a stranger in all aspects.


	2. Chapter 1

**Note: **Chapter 1, finished! Thanks to Toastyann and Meowsap for your reviews, and the people who took time to read!

Hm. I think I might've made the character's out of character here. If I have, sorry! I probably need to play the game again. Oh, and which would be better in your opinion, EphraimxTana or CormagxTana?

Oh yeah, I'm not very confident with my writing skills, so constructive criticism is gratefully welcomed. –offers chocolate block-

I don't own anything.

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2 Months has passed. The Renais Castle. The Frelian prince and princess have decided to stay here for the time being, as the Renais castle was closer to the intelligence stops than the Frelia Castle. After a long, tiring period of vigorous work, the crowned heads are finally being allowed temporary rest.

"Brother! Have you seen Tana's armor anywhere?" Eirika called out, her voice resonating off the walls of the large corridor.

"How should I know where a girl keeps her belongings?" Ephraim's grumbled response was heard wafting from inside his study. Then a pause. "…What? Tana's armor? What is she planning to do?" His head popped out from behind the wooden door.

The now-official Queen glanced at her brother distractedly. "Oh, she wants to spar with me. Although the fact that we wield different weapons makes things a bit…" her voice trailed off as she looked again at Ephraim thoughtfully. Ephraim stiffened, cautious now.

"You…wield lances too. How about y-"

"Ah! No, I'm…uh, too busy." Ephraim retreated hurriedly back into the study, shutting the door with a firm snap behind him.

Eirika laughed, guessing her brother probably remembered the last time Tana had persuaded him to spar. The over-zealous Pegasus rider had, in her attempts to impress the crown-prince, hit too wildly, causing the unprepared Ephraim to topple over her in an attempt to stay upright. This, of course, had resulted in a furious accusation from Innes, who had just so happened to come around the corner, followed by a gaggle of servants. The news was all over the castle within a day, and Ephraim was grounded for a month.

"Once bitten, twice shy, Ephraim! I'm sure you won't abuse Tana again."

"I was _not _abusing her. She merely unbalanced." The door had reopened, and Ephraim looked out at Eirika, quick to correct her. "And her brother was coincidently walking by just as it happened. He did not need to overreact."

"Ah. Well, it's a shame you are so afraid of Innes. Tana would have been delighted to spar with another lance wielder." Eirika sighed whilst shaking her head, as if disappointed at a King's lack of valor.

Well, _that_ stung Ephraim's pride. He glowered at his twin, grabbed his cloak from its hook, and strode past, heading towards the practice grounds.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. _Men. _

She was about to head off to her next task, when she noticed a sheaf of papers sitting on Ephraim's desk. Even from the doorway, she could see it was post-war reports, unopened. Deciding that this was probably more important, she walked into the messy room and sat down at the desk, flicking open the envelopes. Her eyes scanned the pages slowly.

_More villages found burnt…2 squadrons of knights placed in bandit area, total of 103 bandits killed and captured, count still rising…rebuilding of various farms, doing relatively fine…crop prices already rising…more bandit groups sighted…_

Her eyes skimmed all the way down the page and onto the next, leafing through the next few reports. Sighing, she placed the new pages onto the growing pile of reports next to an almost empty inkwell.

"My brother works too hard. I'm glad he has a chance to relax for the moment."

"As am I, my Queen." Eirika spun on the spot, her body almost leaping out of her skin. There, a look that could almost pass as amusement settling on his face was a knight. A _certain_ red haired knight.

"Seth! Y-you…gave me quite a fright. I was just…just sorting through these reports." Waving a hand vaguely at the pile, she smiled weakly at the Silver General.

"I noticed. The king will surely thank you for your efforts when he is back." Seth gave a small smile back and bowed, his crimson red hair falling forward to cover his face.

Eirika frowned. No matter how much she had pestered him, he still clung resolutely to these 'official procedures'. She opened her mouth to tell him, _again_, what she thought of these formalities, but was stopped short when Seth rose, frowning.

"My liege, where are your escorts?"

A sigh of exasperation escaped Eirika. "Seth, I don't think I need escorts here. I'm well protected enough without more people breathing down my neck."

"But, if you pardon me for saying so…no castle is protected enough that a well-trained assassin cannot find a way in. And with everybody busy with rebuilding…enemies hit you where you think you are most safe, my liege. And that's--"

"In my own castle? Surrounded by some of the best knights in Magvel? Besides, you know full well I can defend myself." She cut the knight off, knowing where this conversation could lead to.

Seth made an uncertain sound, and Eirika, though loath to admit it, could see the knight still looked at her as if she was a frail, defenseless princess, a child in need of protection.

The thought pained her; she knew Seth would never look down at her as inferior, but at the very least, he could see her as a friend…after all, and he had been looking after her since she was a youngster.

_I guess old habits die hard…_

"And if it ever comes to that, my brother is across the room from me, and you _know _he is a good fighter." She added, in a tone of finality.

For a few seconds, there was silence as Seth struggled to find a drawback to her arguments. Finally, he gave up and sighed.

"Princess, at least let me…or another know where you are going, so we do not worry if you cannot be found."

"I will, thank you for your concern, Seth." She smiled warmly at him, grateful for his concern. He bowed, mumbling something about it being "his duty".

There was a heavy pause.

"Lady Eirika? " An uncertain voice crept in from outside, snapping the tension like a string. Seth stood to attention abruptly, and Eirika could have sworn she heard a soft sigh of relief seep from the paladin. A man dressed in a servant's worn attire stopped at the door and gave a deep bow.

"My lady, sanction to speak?" Eirika nodded, and the man continued. "You have visitors, my liege. A Sage and a…young girl. There was also an unrecognizable individual…"

"Wait, Lady Eirika, I should go and see if they are unsuspicious before you meet them..."

Eirika gave a thin smile at them, and walked out, dogged closely by Seth. She had an idea as to who these visitors might be…but why would they be visiting her? The Sacred Stone was safe, there had been no recent sightings of fiends in dangerous numbers, and everything was going relatively well. So, it must be a purely social visit, Eirika concluded, relaxing.

She walked out onto the cobblestone entrance path, and the nearest knights, who had been busy staring at something near the gates, noticed her, each falling into a practiced bow.

Her way cleared, the Queen could finally see her visitor's faces as they moved into the courtyard.

And they looked anything but social.


End file.
